Feb 24, 2014
Predicting lifespan in a flash … at least in worms
Posted by Roy in categories: biological, biotech/medical, genetics, health, life extension, science
By Avi Roy, University of Buckingham and Sven Bulterijs, Yale University
The complexity in biology is astounding. That is why biologists are thankful that model organisms, like the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans, can be used to breakdown biological processes into simpler units.
C. elegans is a particular favourite. It grows in the exact same way from a single fertilised egg cell to 959 cells as an adult. Its body is transparent which has allowed scientists to map its growth and study internal changes to great detail.
In a paper published in Nature recently, En-Zhi Shen at the National Institute of Biological Sciences in Beijing and colleagues have used C. elegans to make an intriguing discovery. Based on a process that occurs in each cell’s power house, mitochondria, they claim to be able to predict the lifespan of that organism.
Continue reading “Predicting lifespan in a flash … at least in worms” »
